Ethnic minority women face 'massive inequalities'

Black and minority ethnic women are poorer, less healthy, less educated and significantly worse represented in the corridors of power than both white women and the rest of the UK population, according to research published today.

The study of the situation of black and minority ethnic (BME) women in Britain - Powerless, Poor and Passed Over - highlights "massive inequalities" in health, education, employment and pay, levels of political involvement and treatment by the criminal justice system.

The report, published by a women's equality pressure group, the Fawcett Society, brings together all the available data on the 2.3 million BME women in the UK, who make up just under 4% of the total population and about 8% of the female population.

It points to stark inequalities, including the fact that babies born to immigrant Pakistani mothers are more than twice as likely to die in their first week as the babies of British-born mothers, and that two-fifths of Asian and black women live in poverty, twice the proportion of white women.

While all women experience a pension gap with men, which is even greater than the continuing pay gap, BME women are worst hit. Only 8% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women have an occupational pension; 1% have a personal pension, the study reveals.

There have only been two black female MPs (Diane Abbott and Oona King); no Asian woman has been elected to Westminster; there are no black female chief constables and no BME women judges in the House of Lords or court of appeal.

Lady Amos, the Guyanan-born leader of the House of Lords, says in the study: "Individuals deserve an opportunity to have their voices heard and to help improve their community and their country."

She adds: "The under-representation of BME women at all levels of government suggests that we do not have equal opportunities yet."

Katherine Rake, the Fawcett Society's director, said the experiences of BME women had been too easily overlooked, since studies focused either on race or gender, but not both.

She said: "Our report reveals the terrible impact that multiple discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, religion or age can have on BME women, who continue to be excluded from positions of power."

The new Commission for Equality and Human Rights, which is being created by the government, should tackle issues of multiple discrimination as a priority, she said.

The report highlights both the lack of data taking into account both gender and ethnicity, and the wide variation in experience and opportunities between different groups of ethnic minority women.

It also shows that positive action to try to address the under-representation of women generally may fail to help BME women.

Labour's all-women shortlists, for example, produced very few BME candidates.

Despite some efforts to increase their numbers, BME women are also less likely to be represented in other areas of public life, filling less than 2% of quango appointments.